Motion Sickness
by albinopolarbear
Summary: Flying is relaxing, both Will and NiGHTS agree on that. But what happens when you relax too much?
1. Chapter 1

"Yes!" cried Will, as he watched Donbolan flying up into the jaws of the monster at the top of the stage. The teeth popped Donbolan for the seventh time and his remains splattered everywhere. NiGHTS sighed in relief.

"So, back to the Dream Gate?" she asked casually, praying to herself.

"One more," pleaded Will. "Just one more, please."

NiGHTS sighed. "I need to rest. Just for an hour or two."

"NiGHTS, please let's fly just one more time, then you can rest," said Will. "I don't want to wake up."

"You don't have to wake up," said NiGHTS patiently. "You can stay asleep at the Dream Gate."

Will scowled. "No, I can't! I get so bored I wake up."

NiGHTS sighed again. The obscenely bright purple design on the pinball-like machine was hurting her eyes. The colors began to fade into each other and were spinning faster and faster.

"Fine," she blurted out. "One more time!"

"Yay!" cried Will. In a few seconds he was back in Pure Valley.

Pure Valley had become a second home for Will. Whenever he was stressed out, he always insisted on going there. He finally learned how to take naps during the day, so he didn't have to wait until night to go there. Now, breathing in the fresh air, feeling the wind against his hair and the dandelion balls float down gently to the ground, he was perfectly serene. He felt like he could spend the rest of his life here, running through the grass, looping around trees, content for eternity.

Will ran towards the cage where NiGHTS was. Just running made him feel like he was flying, arms outstretched, the wind almost peeling back his eyelids. In a few seconds, was climbing up the chain and once again found himself in the wonderful sensation of leaving his body behind, of become one with NiGHTS. Now he truly was flying.

NiGHTS and Will moved instinctively through the air. They were so adept at it that they no longer had to fly; they could merely let the wind carry them from place to place. Will was laughing. Even after all this time, it still felt unreal to fly effortlessly from current to current, diving towards the ground and coming back up suddenly with no fear or hesitation.

NiGHTS flew around a branch of a tree just for Will's pleasure, hooked onto a dandelion ball and flung it towards the ground. The ball exploded into a fireworks display of white confetti, with Will laughing helplessly as they looped around the fluff, just for the thrill of it.

They had just looped around another ball when NiGHTS unexpectedly gave a moan and plummeted towards the ground. Will cried out as they undualized in both terror of falling and fear for NiGHTS. They both hit the ground at the same time.

Will lay on the grass, panting. All the wind had been knocked out of his chest. He stayed for several seconds, trying to regain his breath, when another moan caused him to jump to his feet. "NiGHTS?" he cried, running over to the purple form on the ground. "NiGHTS, what happened? Are you okay?" NiGHTS just gave another moan. "NiGHTS are you hurt?" This was no good. He had to get help.

The wind whipped around Will as he glanced around. He looked for the small lump of ruffled feather he usually hated. "Owl?" His voice sounded cracked. He tried again, louder. "Owl?" No reply.

Now Will was desperate. If Owl wasn't here, there was only one place he could be. He turned to NiGHTS. "I'm going back to the Dream Gate to get Owl. To get help. Okay?" There was no reply. "Okay?" NiGHTS gave a small moan that reassured Will. He sprang up and sprinted towards where he thought the door was.

"Please let me be right, please let me be right," he prayed silently. All he could distinguish from the landscape were certain trees. There was no way he could find a small door in this massive valley. Then he remembered the cage. If he could find the cage, with its long chain reaching up into the sky, he could find the door. Will sped up at this thought.

Adrenaline was pulsating through him, making him move faster. The wind made his hair fly backwards as he sped across the grass, stumbling occasionally. Finally, with a sigh of relief, he saw a gold chain connected to a cage. And right behind it was the door to the Dream Gate. Now he felt a flicker of hope, but ran even faster, and flung open the door. Soon he was falling through a sea of stars.

***

Owl was flying aimlessly around the Dream Gate. He was bored and agitated. Now was the time of day when almost no children were asleep. Well, at least on his side of the world. Owl hated how each Dream Keeper got a different time zone. It seemed to him that it would be more convenient to have everyone on a full-time schedule, so they could spread the work around evenly. He would have to bring it up at the next meeting. Suddenly his ears perked up. He had gotten the signal that Will had just left one of his dreams and was at his Dream Gate. Most likely he was just choosing a new dream, but Owl needed something to do. So he closed his eyes and concentrated. In another second he was in Will's head, just as Will was running down the steps of Pure Valley door. The urgency in his eyes made Owl flutter his wings in surprise.

"Owl, Owl!" cried Will, running towards him. "I need, I mean NiGHTS needs help! Both of us. Now!"

Owl held up one wing. "Hold on. Take deep breaths. In…out…in…out…in…"

Will was in too much of a hurry to listen to him. "Owl, NiGHTS is in Pure Valley. He's sick, or something. He needs you to come and help him!"

"_She _needs me to come and help _her_." Owl couldn't resist. "I've been correcting you on that since you first came here and you still can't remember. Now, about her now."

"_She_ is in Pure Valley. We were flying and he suddenly dropped and can't move. Now come now!"

Owl winced at the "he", but recovered quickly. "Okay, I'll follow you. If I must."

"Hurry!" Will ran to the Pure Valley door and opened it urgently. He stepped inside it and fell through the stars yet again, with Owl flying beside him.

***

Will ran across the fields of Pure Valley as fast as he could, with Owl flying behind him. His heart pounded against his chest as he scanned the landscape for a sign of NiGHTS.

"Tell me, do you have any idea where you're going or are you just blindly running?" asked Owl in a bored tone.

Will stopped and frowned at him. "Quiet. I know we fell around here somewhere/"

"You mean somewhere with the grass and trees?" asked Owl. "I would appreciate it if you were a little more specific."

"There he is!' shrieked Will, pointing at a huddled purple figure on the ground. He ran towards it.

"There _she_ is," corrected Owl to himself, before flying towards NiGHTS after Will.

"NiGHTS, are you okay? Are you feeling better?" asked Will urgently.

NiGHTS looked up at him with bleary eyes. "I feel a little better, but not by much." She lay her head down again.

"Owl, what can we do?" asked Will.

"Well, we Nightopians only know one cure. You see, we rarely get motion sickness. How long have you been flying?"

Will looked embarrassed. "This is the eighth time through Pure Valley."

Owl fluttered his wings indignantly. "The _eighth_? You know, there is still a thing called _energy_ in Nightopia and another thing called _fatigue_."

"It relaxes me," muttered Will.

"Oh, yes, I feel very relaxed when I fly around the same place eight times. Especially when I get motion-sickness."

"So, do you have the cure?" Will asked, ignoring his comments.

"Not _on_ me," said Owl. "I don't carry around cures for motion sickness."

Will sighed. 'Well what _is_ the cure?"

"Seaweed."

"Seaweed?" asked Will "You mean the plants that grow in the ocean?'

Owl clapped his wings together. "Brilliant. You know that seaweed grows in the ocean. It's not a plant though."

"Whatever. So how do I get it?"

Owl sighed. "Are you always this slow? You have to go to the ocean."

"Ocean?" asked Will. "There's an ocean around here?" He looked around as though hoping to see a door to one. All he saw were fields of grass and dandelion balls that floated slowly towards the ground like snowflakes.

"Not here," replied Owl. "You have to dream it. Haven't you figured this out by now?"

Will looked confused. "I can't control what I dream!"

"They never can," Owl muttered to himself.

"So I have to dream about the ocean? I've never even been to the ocean!" Will cried.

"Well either you have to dream about the ocean or find someone who has."

"Thanks a lot," muttered Will.

"My pleasure." Owl got up and stretched out his wings. "Well, I'm going back to the Dream Gate."

"Good," said Will after Owl left. He sighed and lay down next to NiGHTS. The grass was cool and the sun shined down on his face. He looked around at the hills that rolled across the landscape. _Think of the ocean_ he thought closing his eyes.. But it was useless. He had to find someone else who had dreamed of the ocean. And fast.


	2. Chapter 2

"Good-night, Mum," called Helen.

"Are you going to bed already?" asked her mom wearily. This was the third night in a row that she had gone to bed at seven.

"I'm still tired from the violin concert on Saturday," Helen lied. "And I have a math test tomorrow I've just studied for. I need to rest."

Her mother sighed. "Fine. Good-night, Helen."

"Love you, Mum." Helen kissed her quickly on cheek and then ran off to the bathroom, where she quickly brushed her teeth. She then went into her room and unconsciously undressed, thinking about finally going to see NiGHTS after her long day. Between forgetting her homework and getting yelled at during violin practice, she was quite keen to fly through Memory Forest a few times and forget about everything.

Helen climbed into bed and thought, not for the first time, how ironic it was that when she wanted to fly and relax, she was too excited to sleep. Other times, when she was exhausted, she immediately feel asleep and entered the Dream Gate when she was too tired to want to fly. Now, she tried a method that often worked when she couldn't sleep. She counted as slowly as possible. _One…two… _Maybe she could try flying around the carousal a few times. _Three…four… _Her eyebrows grew heavy. _Five…six… _Going through the Forest of Notes would be good, too. _Seven…_

She was falling through a sea of stars, laughing. She was getting better at falling asleep at will. Maybe she could even take naps during the day now. It would be worth a try.

A few more seconds and Helen landed gently in the Dream Gate. She eagerly ran towards the Memory Forest door. She conjured up the images of the forest; the tall trees and the bright colored balloons, and, best of all, the carousal that peacefully turned around and around, and pulled the door open. A blinding light made her shield her eyes, and she stepped into it, falling down again, with stars twinkling beside her.

She landed in the middle of the forest. Trees shot up all around her, cloaked in a sheet of green. Balloons moved lazily through the sky, their colors standing out against the green canopy. The grass was wet with soft dew that shimmered as the sun hit it, stretching its rays of light through the green cloak. Helen's body relaxed, as she ran towards the cage, running past the blue chips to get there a soon as possible. However, even before she looked up at the cage, she knew something was wrong. "NiGHTS?" she cried. There was no one in the cage. "NiGHTS?" Her heart began to pound against her chest. She took a few deep breaths trying to think of what to do. NiGHTS was always in the cage when she came to fly. Now she was not in the cage, so something must have happened to her.

"Owl?" asked Helen. He was the one who might know what had happened. "Owl?" She called louder. If he wasn't here, he was probably at the Dream Gate, she reasoned. So she ran across the forest and opened the door, flying through the stars towards the Entrance of Dreams.

***

When Helen landed, she was at the top of the stairs to Memory Forest. She hopped down them and looked around. She spotted a ball of brown feathers flying around and waved him over. Owl sighed but flew towards her.

"Hi, Owl. Do you know where NiGHTS is?" Helen asked. "I can't find her."

Owl looked into the distance, and took a deep breath. "She's sick."

Helen's stomach contracted. "Sick?" Her voice was full of the worry she felt.

"Yes. You know Will, right?"

Helen nodded slowly. She had helped him through the glass maze and he had helped her through the city.

"Your _friend_ Will, had been abusing NiGHTS to the point where she can no longer fly." Owl rolled his eyes. "Motion-sickness. As you know, it is very rare in dreams."

Helen nodded. "Right. So is she going to be alright?"

"Let me tell you, you are one of the few people who can remember NiGHTS's sex," complemented Owl. "And no, she will not be alright."

Helen's heart thumped against her chest. "_Not_ going to be all right?"

"Not if we leave her in Will's dream alone," replied Owl. "But if we can help her, she will heal."

"Help…how?" asked Helen slowly.

"We know only one cure for motion-sickness," said Owl. "Seaweed."

Helen's head automatically whipped towards the door to Ocean Palace. "Seaweed?"

"Yes, that's why I came here," said Owl. "Awfully convenient to have someone who dreams about the ocean fall asleep not half-an-hour after NiGHTS got sick, isn't it?"

Helen was trying to collect her thoughts. "So I just have to go into Ocean Palace and get seaweed? How much?"

"Oh, just one or two strands will suffice," replied Owl. "After you find the seaweed, I can bring you into Will's dream and you can give it to NiGHTS,"

Helen thought she had heard wrong. "Bring _me_ into his dream?'

Owl shrugged. "Sure. Visitors are able to visit other Visitors' dreams if a Nightopean such as myself accompanies them. We try to prevent it, but we allow it in cases of emergencies, such as this one."

"Whoa," said Helen, stepping backwards. 'Invasion of privacy much?"

Owl rolled his eyes. "Honey, he dreams about dandelions balls hitting the ground and exploding. He isn't hiding any big secrets."

"Oh," said Helen. "I guess that makes sense." Actually, she didn't think it made sense, but decided not to argue with Owl. She'd had enough experiences with that to know not to.

_Not that dreaming about carousals in a forest is any better,_ thought Owl. He flapped his wings impatiently. 'So go into Ocean Palace and find the seaweed." He left without another word.

. _Here we go,_ thought Helen. She ran to the Ocean Palace door and pulled it open, stepping into the light.

The smell of fresh ocean air hit Helen as she landed. She ran through the sand, enjoying herself for a moment. The water made a pleasant rhythm inside her head. Bubbles bounced happily around, and water whooshed through holes in ground. Her heart filled up as a group of fish darted around her, swimming off into the distance. She kicked sand into the air and giggled as it fell down softly, covering her dress. Instinctively, she looked for NiGHTS in the cage. Then she remembered why she was there. Ignoring the blue chips in front of her, she scanned the ocean floor until, with a sudden jolt, she saw a patch of seaweed growing out of the sand. She ran towards it, the wet sand splashing under her feet. A few feet away from the seaweed, she halted. Three Nightmareans were swimming lazily around it.

As soon as she saw the Nightmareans, Helen's feet automatically pivoted in terror. She searched her pocket frantically. No blue chips. She sighed, remembering how she had decided not to collect them, and sped back towards the cage, sliding on the sand with each step. She dodged the chain and picked up all of the shining blue chips. All three of them.

Helen frowned at the three chips in her hands. If she had to kill the Nightmareans and get the seaweed, she would only get one shot at each Nightmarean. But there was nothing else to do, besides going back into the Dream Gate. She decided to try with the three chips first, and then go back to get more if she needed to.

The Nightmareans were still swimming back and forth around the seaweed when Helen arrived again. Helen clenched her fists, taking a deep breath, and then ran in with her three blue weapons. One Nightmarean suddenly spotted her and swam quickly towards her through the seaweed. The seaweed parted like pieces of green fabric, before slowly floating back to their original position.

Helen bit her tongue in concentration as she lifted a blue chip. When the Nightmarean approached her, she drew her arm back. She let go as soon the Nightmarean opened its jaw. Her body went limp with relief and elation, but she remembered the two other Nightmareans. Helen jumped towards the second one, hoping to surprise it. In midair she pulled out another chip, throwing it at the Nightmarean before it knew she was there. Without pausing, she pulled out her last chip, hitting the ground and spinning quickly in the other direction. She shrieked in surprise. The third Nightmarean had noticed her and had crept up to her without her knowing. Instinctively, Helen threw the chip in the general direction she was facing. Luckily, the chip managed to hit the Nightmareans face, and it fell down like the other, making a soft impact on the sand.

Helen's mouth dropped open. Somehow, she had taken all three of them out with three chips. Maybe it was adrenaline. Maybe she was just lucky. Either way, the seaweed was just a few feet from her. She wrapped her hand around a strand and pulled. It pulled free of the sand anchoring it to the ground and hung loosely in her hand. Helen gripped it firmly; as though it would float out of her hand of she loosened her grip on it, and pulled two more strands out. She felt a little flicker of hope. Scanning the vast ocean floor again, she spotted the chain holding the cage where NiGHTS should be. She ran towards it, moving quickly so she could give NiGHTS the cure as soon as possible, climbed the stairs in one leap, and opened the door. She was hurled forwards into the light, with stars again twinkling beside her.

***

"Owl!" cried Helen. "Owl!" She hopped down the stairs into the Dream Gate. "Owl! I got it!" She triumphantly held up the seaweed.

Owl flew over to her. "Finally! I mean, good job, Helen. Now we just need to get you into Will's dream."

"Oh." Helen hesitated.

"It's been done before," promised Owl. "Trust me, it's fine."

"Okay," said Helen. "So, how do I get into his dream?"

Owl flew a little above her head. "Hold on to my leg."

Hesitantly, Helen put her hand up to Owl's left leg, hovering over it.

"Do it, it's fine," repeated Owl.

Reluctantly, Helen touched his leg, wrapping her hand around it. Owl flapped his wings and, as though Helen were weightless, flew upwards. Helen gasped in shock.

"Do you mind not hold on so tight?" asked Owl. Helen realized she was gripping on so tight that her hand was white. She gradually loosened her grip. Owl beat his wings faster, and soon they were rising far above the trees. Owl flapped his wings a final time, and Helen saw the Dream Gate far below disappear.

"Is it gone now?" called Owl.

"Yes," choked out Helen.

"Good." A powerful wind started to pick up. "I'm going to land now." Owl shouted.

Helen said, "Okay", but the wind was so strong that Owl couldn't hear her. They began to descend, and soon the wind stopped and the Dream Gate came back into focus. Helen frowned.

"The doors are in the wrong places!" she exclaimed.

"I know," said Owl. "This is Will's Dream Gate, not yours."

"That was all it took?" asked Helen, amazed.

"Well," Owl beat his wings to slow himself down. "Hang up, we're landing." Helen felt her feet hit the ground and let go of Owl's foot. She tentatively took a few steps.

"Well," resumed Owl. "I'm more experienced than other Dream Keepers. When the others do it, there are bursts of bright light and loud static sounds in addition to the wind, but I have had more practice. Anyway, this is where NiGHTS is. Do you still have the seaweed?"

Helen held up her left hand in answer.

"Good," said Owl. "Through here," He led the way to a door with a mountain on it. Helen put her hand on the doorknob, hesitating for a fraction of a second, and opened it, flinging herself into the stars.

***

"Wow," said Helen as she landed. Standing still, she took in the sights. The gentle wind brushed against her hair, and the grass tickled her ankles. Large dandelion ball floated downwards slowly, and the blue sky arched above her head. "Wow," she repeated. She stood mesmerized for a minute, until she remembered why she was here. With a start, she saw Owl flying off into the hills, and ran after him.

Three minutes later, Helen saw a boy she recognized as Will, and a purple figure, both lying on the grass. NiGHTS had her eyes closed.

"NiGHTS?" she cried, "Will?" Will sat up, startled, and looked eyes with her. He looked at her hand, and saw the seaweed in it.

"Helen?" asked Will in disbelief.

"You seem to have forgotten about your mission," said Owl reprovingly. "So I did it for you."

"Oh, thank you," said Will, relieved. "Hurry." He took the seaweed from Helen's hand and knelt down. "NiGHTS?"

NiGHTS blinked, and looked at him.

"NiGHTS, I'm going to help you, okay? You have to eat this." He held the seaweed to her mouth NiGHTS accepted it and chewed. Will let out his breath as she swallowed. "You have to eat all of this to get better." NiGHTS ate the other two strands. She still lay down and couldn't, but could open her eyes and stare at him.

"It will take time," said Owl. "But she will recover."

"She'll get better," said Helen. "I know she will."

"I know too," said Will. He smiled. "She will get better."

***

"So NiGHTS really was female all along?" asked Will in the Dream Gate, after Helen was sent back to her own dream.

Owl nodded. "About time you figured that out."

"And when can I fly with her again?"

"Not for a few hours," replied Owl. "She needs to rest. And I think you need to wake up now,"

"Oh, right." Will was always losing track of time while he was asleep.

"So, see you tomorrow night?" asked Owl.

"See you tomorrow night," repeated Will

Owl sighed. "I was afraid of that."

A wind was beginning to pick up. Will blinked a few times, as Owl grew fuzzy.

"I'm going," he said, as the trees began to blend together. "I'm waking up."

The next second, Will was in his bed. He stared straight up at the ceiling for a second. Then his entire room began to spin. He closed his eyes as a wave of nausea made him grab his stomach.

"Mom?" he heard himself call, concentrating on controlling his nausea.

"Yes?" His mom was in his room seconds later.

"Don't feel so good," mumbled Will. "Nauseous."

"Oh!" His mom's hand instinctively went for his forehead. "You stay home today, okay? I'll call the doctor later. The best thing you can do now is to rest. Try to go back to sleep. That should help."


End file.
